Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Course Description Updated
Friday, September 17, 2010
Harder'n He!! Half Marathon Announced
The half marathon distance works out nicely with a nearly perfect 13.1 mile
A printable pdf entry form is available on our Registration page. Online registration is also available from RunRace.net. We will also be providing additional race details on our website soon.
Updated Race Information Page
Also note that there will be bus transportation to the start for 50K runners. The Race Information page was not clear on that before.
See you at the race!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wild Duluth Photo Tour Updated with New Section
Thursday, June 10, 2010
New Maps and Elevation Profiles Posted
[caption id="attachment_483" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Wild Duluth 100K Course Profile"]
New Start Location for 50K - Turnaround for 100K!
We're excited to announce a new start and turnaround location for the Wild Duluth 50K and 100K! While we absolutely loved Chambers Grove as a start location, we worried about the long term sustainability of using undeveloped trails and the steep slope leading out of Chambers Grove.
Our new 50K starting line and 100K turnaround will be located at Oldenburg Point picnic area within Jay Cooke State Park. There are a lot of great things to note about this change. Here are the top 10 cool things about the new Wild Duluth 50K start:
- Runners will get on the Superior Hiking Trail almost right away. A short 1/4 mile spur trail from the picnic area will lead you right to the Superior Hiking Trail where you will follow the blue blazes and signs all the way to the finish at Bayfront!
- Runners will be on developed trail...no more bushwhacking. Although the bushwhacking is fun, it can't be as sustainable and environmentally friendly over the long term
- The 50K start is sort of flat, rolling and downhill. No more steep climbing right from the start. The old start would have been terribly slippery and potentially dangerous if we get bad weather. While it might be a little longer, the terrain is easier to run.
- The new start section makes the trail almost exactly 50K. Last year really was short by a mile or two.
- The new start includes the Gill Creek Trail - one of the funnest, switchbacky trails in the area
- The new start also includes the Grand Portage Trail where it drops steeply down to cross Hwy 210. The views from this trail are amazing and it's a really cool trail!
- The view from the point is great (you have to walk just a bit to see it)
- The parking is good (not quite as large as Chambers Grove though)
- There are toilets available at the site (we'll probably add a couple more)
- No more out-and-back sections down to the zoo aid station (Kingsbury Creek) or into the Grand Portage aid station! You stay on the main trail and don't drop down to the zoo anymore. We've added an aid station at the base of Spirit Mountain to replace the Kingsbury Creek aid station at the zoo. Also, you run right through the Grand Portage aid station now, so no out-and-back there either!
- Bonus cool thing - No more powerlines!
We'll be adding new maps and elevation profiles to reflect the new start soon!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wild Duluth Races now has a Facebook page
Monday, May 24, 2010
Downloadable Registration Form Now Available
Monday, April 19, 2010
Online Registration for 2010 Race Ready
A new form to download, print and mail in will be available soon.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Date Set for 2010 Wild Duluth Races
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Beautiful Day for the First Wild Duluth Races
[caption id="attachment_398" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="2nd Place 100K Runner Chad Brackelsberg"]
At 6:00 a.m. the 100K runners departed from the start/finish line at Bayfront Park located right on the Duluth harbor of Lake Superior. They would run the Superior Hiking Trail, which traverses the entire length of the City of Duluth, from East to West, turning around at Chambers Grove Park and returning the same way to the finish line at Bayfront. For the 100K runners, the out-and-back course would begin with a relatively long climb to the top of the ridge at Enger Park where runners had the opportunity to ring the Peace Bell. While the Wild Duluth course does not have any really long climbs or descents, the climbing and descending is relentless. For most of the course the trail runs up and down along the ridge above the City of Duluth with many great views of the Lake Superior Harbor, Duluth neighborhoods and the hills that runners will traverse strung out before them. Runners will find rocky gorges, waterfalls, clifftop running, open meadows above the city, boulders and rock outcroppings, towering red and white pine trees, pine needle laden trail as well as rocky, rooty trail all within the city limits of Duluth and its 80,000 residents. It truly is a wilderness trail within the city, living up to the name Wild Duluth.
From the start of the 100K race, it was clear that Sean Andrish from Virginia was in great shape and ready to run a fast 62 miles. Chad Brackelsberg from Park City, Utah hung with Sean through the early aid stations and was also looking strong. As the race progressed, Sean began to build a lead that he would never relinquish, finishing with a super time of 10:52. We figured anything around 11 hours on this very challenging course would be very good. Sean exceeded those expectations while telling us that he absolutely loved the course. Chad stayed steady to finish the 100K in second place and local ultrarunner Matt Long came on strong to close the gap on Chad finishing a solid third. Julie Treder from St. Francis, WI ran a very good, well paced race and overcame an acrobatic fall off a rock to finish first for the women and fourth overall in 14:45. Alicia Hudelson finished second for the women and Shelly Thompson Placed third.
[caption id="attachment_399" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Morning Sunlight on Trees Across the St. Louis River from the 50K Start"]
Fifty-kilometer runners began their journey from Chambers Grove Park finishing the point-to-point course at Bayfront Park near downtown Duluth. At the Chambers Grove start runners and spectators were stunned by the golden sunlight shining brightly on the autumn colored trees on the other side of the St. Louis River. As the runners left the park and immediately climbed steeply up the bluffs, they were again bedazzled by the beautiful pine needle covered trail beneath huge pine trees and colorful maple trees which produced an almost unearthly glow as runners filed along the steep ridgetop.
[caption id="attachment_407" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Rick Bothwell on Trail Above St. Louis River"]
Midwestern speedster Wynn Davis immediately took the lead and, like the 100K race, never looked back. It was clear that Wynn was going to set a solid standard for the 50K course. Would he also exceed our expectations of what we thought would be a fast time on this course? We felt a 4 hour 30 minute winning time would be a great time on this course. Wynn smashed those expectations, finishing the race in 4 hours 11 minutes. Both Sean and Wynn set the bar very high at our inaugural race.
Local runner Ryan Braun from Superior, WI ran a super race to finish second in the 50K, hanging close to Wynn for the early part of the race. David Worley, another local runner from Duluth, MN ran a superbly paced race just edging out local Darrin Johnson from South Range, WI for third place and the Master’s title.
The women’s 50K may have been the most exciting race of the day. Leslie Semler from Hermantown, MN led local running champion Rochelle Wirth of Duluth, MN through the early aid stations before Rochelle overtook Leslie, relying on her ultra experience to win the 50K with a super time of 5:13 and place 5th overall. Leslie finished a very strong 2nd just over 5 minutes behind Rochelle and 7th overall. Duluthian Anne Flueckiger placed third. The women were really moving fast over the rocky course throughout the day and also set strong standards for others to try to match in coming years.
[caption id="attachment_401" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Climbing Ely's Peak"]
No ultra is complete without a few special stories of runners persevering in the face of adversity. There were many stories on the trail at Wild Duluth, but two stand out in our minds. Both involved first time ultrarunners.
Until recently, 100K finisher Phillip Watson, a 27 year old from Inver Grove Heights, MN, didn’t know what an ultramarathon was. He had heard about the sport at some point recently and decided to Google ultramarathons in Minnesota. This led Phillip to the Wild Duluth races. He told me at the start that he thought he might as well go all out and run the 100K when he decided to sign up for his first ultramarathon. Phillip chose a very challenging race for his first ultra, and despite not knowing a lot about the gear and nutrition most ultrarunners use while racing, he remained strong and cheerful all day, overcame blisters and motored to his first ultra finish in the Wild Duluth 100K. Phillip provided a great example for all of us that what truly matters in an ultra is our attitude and putting one foot in front of the other all day for a long time. Great job Phillip, and I might put one of those hooded sweatshirts with the big pockets in my race wardrobe soon. You were pulling food out of those pockets all day!
[caption id="attachment_397" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Finish Line at Bayfront Park"]
In the 50K, first time ultrarunner Juliana Bertelsen finished behind everyone and took home the Taconite in Your Pants Award. What makes her finish truly special is that she got off course for an extended period of time and still persevered to the finish. We received a call that a runner was off course and we began trying to track that runner down. Shortly after beginning the process of tracking the runner down, we received another call that the runner was back on course and heading for the finish. In the true ultrarunner spirit, Juliana never gave up and ran strong to the finish despite the extra miles she ran.
Many thanks to all of our tremendous volunteers who endured a long day but remained cheerful throughout. The runners truly appreciated your efforts. We’re looking forward to next year and hope to see many of you at the 2010 Wild Duluth Races.
Thanks to Zach Pierce and Rick Bothwell for the above photos.
A Beautiful Day for the First Wild Duluth Races
[caption id="attachment_398" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="2nd Place 100K Runner Chad Brackelsberg"]
At 6:00 a.m. the 100K runners departed from the start/finish line at Bayfront Park located right on the Duluth harbor of Lake Superior. They would run the Superior Hiking Trail, which traverses the entire length of the City of Duluth, from East to West, turning around at Chambers Grove Park and returning the same way to the finish line at Bayfront. For the 100K runners, the out-and-back course would begin with a relatively long climb to the top of the ridge at Enger Park where runners had the opportunity to ring the Peace Bell. While the Wild Duluth course does not have any really long climbs or descents, the climbing and descending is relentless. For most of the course the trail runs up and down along the ridge above the City of Duluth with many great views of the Lake Superior Harbor, Duluth neighborhoods and the hills that runners will traverse strung out before them. Runners will find rocky gorges, waterfalls, clifftop running, open meadows above the city, boulders and rock outcroppings, towering red and white pine trees, pine needle laden trail as well as rocky, rooty trail all within the city limits of Duluth and its 80,000 residents. It truly is a wilderness trail within the city, living up to the name Wild Duluth.
From the start of the 100K race, it was clear that Sean Andrish from Virginia was in great shape and ready to run a fast 62 miles. Chad Brackelsberg from Park City, Utah hung with Sean through the early aid stations and was also looking strong. As the race progressed, Sean began to build a lead that he would never relinquish, finishing with a super time of 10:52. We figured anything around 11 hours on this very challenging course would be very good. Sean exceeded those expectations while telling us that he absolutely loved the course. Chad stayed steady to finish the 100K in second place and local ultrarunner Matt Long came on strong to close the gap on Chad finishing a solid third. Julie Treder from St. Francis, WI ran a very good, well paced race and overcame an acrobatic fall off a rock to finish first for the women and fourth overall in 14:45. Alicia Hudelson finished second for the women and Shelly Thompson Placed third.
[caption id="attachment_399" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Morning Sunlight on Trees Across the St. Louis River from the 50K Start"]
Fifty-kilometer runners began their journey from Chambers Grove Park finishing the point-to-point course at Bayfront Park near downtown Duluth. At the Chambers Grove start runners and spectators were stunned by the golden sunlight shining brightly on the autumn colored trees on the other side of the St. Louis River. As the runners left the park and immediately climbed steeply up the bluffs, they were again bedazzled by the beautiful pine needle covered trail beneath huge pine trees and colorful maple trees which produced an almost unearthly glow as runners filed along the steep ridgetop.
[caption id="attachment_407" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Rick Bothwell on Trail Above St. Louis River"]
Midwestern speedster Wynn Davis immediately took the lead and, like the 100K race, never looked back. It was clear that Wynn was going to set a solid standard for the 50K course. Would he also exceed our expectations of what we thought would be a fast time on this course? We felt a 4 hour 30 minute winning time would be a great time on this course. Wynn smashed those expectations, finishing the race in 4 hours 11 minutes. Both Sean and Wynn set the bar very high at our inaugural race.
Local runner Ryan Braun from Superior, WI ran a super race to finish second in the 50K, hanging close to Wynn for the early part of the race. David Worley, another local runner from Duluth, MN ran a superbly paced race just edging out local Darrin Johnson from South Range, WI for third place and the Master’s title.
The women’s 50K may have been the most exciting race of the day. Leslie Semler from Hermantown, MN led local running champion Rochelle Wirth of Duluth, MN through the early aid stations before Rochelle overtook Leslie, relying on her ultra experience to win the 50K with a super time of 5:13 and place 5th overall. Leslie finished a very strong 2nd just over 5 minutes behind Rochelle and 7th overall. Duluthian Anne Flueckiger placed third. The women were really moving fast over the rocky course throughout the day and also set strong standards for others to try to match in coming years.
[caption id="attachment_401" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Climbing Ely's Peak"]
No ultra is complete without a few special stories of runners persevering in the face of adversity. There were many stories on the trail at Wild Duluth, but two stand out in our minds. Both involved first time ultrarunners.
Until recently, 100K finisher Phillip Watson, a 27 year old from Inver Grove Heights, MN, didn’t know what an ultramarathon was. He had heard about the sport at some point recently and decided to Google ultramarathons in Minnesota. This led Phillip to the Wild Duluth races. He told me at the start that he thought he might as well go all out and run the 100K when he decided to sign up for his first ultramarathon. Phillip chose a very challenging race for his first ultra, and despite not knowing a lot about the gear and nutrition most ultrarunners use while racing, he remained strong and cheerful all day, overcame blisters and motored to his first ultra finish in the Wild Duluth 100K. Phillip provided a great example for all of us that what truly matters in an ultra is our attitude and putting one foot in front of the other all day for a long time. Great job Phillip, and I might put one of those hooded sweatshirts with the big pockets in my race wardrobe soon. You were pulling food out of those pockets all day!
[caption id="attachment_397" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Finish Line at Bayfront Park"]
In the 50K, first time ultrarunner Juliana Bertelsen finished behind everyone and took home the Taconite in Your Pants Award. What makes her finish truly special is that she got off course for an extended period of time and still persevered to the finish. We received a call that a runner was off course and we began trying to track that runner down. Shortly after beginning the process of tracking the runner down, we received another call that the runner was back on course and heading for the finish. In the true ultrarunner spirit, Juliana never gave up and ran strong to the finish despite the extra miles she ran.
Many thanks to all of our tremendous volunteers who endured a long day but remained cheerful throughout. The runners truly appreciated your efforts. We’re looking forward to next year and hope to see many of you at the 2010 Wild Duluth Races.
Thanks to Zach Pierce and Rick Bothwell for the above photos.
Monday, October 19, 2009
2009 Race Photos Posted
2009 Race Photos Posted
Sunday, October 18, 2009
2009 Results Posted
[caption id="attachment_366" align="alignright" width="99" caption="50K Winner Wynn Davis"]
[caption id="attachment_367" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="50K Winner Rochelle Wirth"]
Short story - We had some of the toughest ultrarunners I've ever seen at the Wild Duluth races this year. We had only one runner not finish the 50K race and only two runners not finish the 100K race. This course is tough, and if you don't believe it, come up next year and check it out! Great job runners!
Wynn Davis smoked the 50K course running a very fast 4:11 on this challenging course to win the 50K. Rochelle Wirth ran an equally smoking 50K to win the women's race in the 50K in 5:13. In the 100K, Sean Andrish set an amazing standard by running a very fast 10:52. Julie Treder took the women's race in a great 14:45. These winning times for our inaugural race will set the bar pretty high!
We had some good stories out their on the trail. Our final finisher in the 50K got way off course early in the race but gutted it out and finished her first ultra. She ran some extra miles but never gave up - the true ultrarunners spirit! We also had a great first time ultra finisher in the 100K. He had never run an ultra before and knew little about the sport before accepting the challenge of 100
[caption id="attachment_368" align="alignright" width="112" caption="100K Winner Julie Treder"]
[caption id="attachment_369" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="100K Winner Sean Andrish"]
kilometers on a very rough, rugged and challenging course. Needless to say, he finished strong, had an amazing positive attitude and
showed everyone what ultrarunning is all about.
I'll try to post a longer report when I wake up a little more. Looking forward to next year already!
2009 Results Posted
[caption id="attachment_366" align="alignright" width="99" caption="50K Winner Wynn Davis"]
[caption id="attachment_367" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="50K Winner Rochelle Wirth"]
Short story - We had some of the toughest ultrarunners I've ever seen at the Wild Duluth races this year. We had only one runner not finish the 50K race and only two runners not finish the 100K race. This course is tough, and if you don't believe it, come up next year and check it out! Great job runners!
Wynn Davis smoked the 50K course running a very fast 4:11 on this challenging course to win the 50K. Rochelle Wirth ran an equally smoking 50K to win the women's race in the 50K in 5:13. In the 100K, Sean Andrish set an amazing standard by running a very fast 10:52. Julie Treder took the women's race in a great 14:45. These winning times for our inaugural race will set the bar pretty high!
We had some good stories out their on the trail. Our final finisher in the 50K got way off course early in the race but gutted it out and finished her first ultra. She ran some extra miles but never gave up - the true ultrarunners spirit! We also had a great first time ultra finisher in the 100K. He had never run an ultra before and knew little about the sport before accepting the challenge of 100
[caption id="attachment_368" align="alignright" width="112" caption="100K Winner Julie Treder"]
[caption id="attachment_369" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="100K Winner Sean Andrish"]
kilometers on a very rough, rugged and challenging course. Needless to say, he finished strong, had an amazing positive attitude and
showed everyone what ultrarunning is all about.
I'll try to post a longer report when I wake up a little more. Looking forward to next year already!
Beautiful Day for Wild Duluth!
We had spectacular weather for the inaugural Wild Duluth races yesterday. Huge thank you to our runners and huge thank you to our great volunteers! Check back later tonight for results.
(photo courtesy of Zach Pierce)
Beautiful Day for Wild Duluth!
We had spectacular weather for the inaugural Wild Duluth races yesterday. Huge thank you to our runners and huge thank you to our great volunteers! Check back later tonight for results.
(photo courtesy of Zach Pierce)